Five things you need to know about the new trend of hiring dresses for special occasions
So you’ve been invited to a special occasion. Or maybe you’re planning one of your own – a birthday or engagement party, or even your own wedding.
One of the most enjoyable – and sometimes stressful – parts of preparing for a big event is finding the perfect dress to wear.
You need to find something in your size, in a style you love, that’s fitting for the occasion, within budget and that’s unlikely to be worn by another guest.
So how do you manage to find something that fits every requirement? One increasing trend is to hire, rather than buy, a dress for special occasions. If this is something you’re considering, here are five things you need to know before you hire a cocktail dress Sydney.
1) You’re unlikely to turn up in the same dress as another guest
What’s the first thing most people do when they’re invited to an event? Starting planning a shopping trip for the perfect dress.
And if you live in small town, your access to shops with appropriate dresses is limited. This means you’re not going to have a huge amount of choice. But just as importantly, the chances of arriving at the event in an identical high street dress to another guest are fairly high.
So what can you do instead? Hire a dress. By choosing to rent, rather than buy, a dress, you get access to a far larger potential wardrobe. Dress hire websites often offer a vast range of dresses in different styles and colours.
And as you’re not restricted to staying local with your shop – or buying online from stores you and your friends can afford – you’ll increase the chances of making an entrance at your event for the right reasons. And not risk the embarrassment of bumping into someone in an identical gown.
2) You won’t buy an expensive dress you only wear once
Hiring the perfect dress for your special occasion won’t just ensure you’ll look unique; it can also save you money. After all, how much wear will you get out of your new purchase?
And even if you do plan to wear it again, how many years’ wear will you realistically have before the style dates? Or your body shape changes and it no longer fits or suits you?
By hiring a dress, your budget will also go further – you can hire a dress that you’d never be able to afford to actually purchase.
And it’s not just for formal gatherings and parties that many women are now turning to hire companies rather than purchasing. Renting your wedding or engagement party dress is a growing trend.
By hiring your gown from websites like The Volte Engagement Dress Hire, you can choose from a wide range of beautiful statement dresses, plus accessories that will ensure you look like a million dollars, without having to fork out a fortune just for one day or night.
3) Get a designer look without the price tag
Forget any outdated ideas of dress hire shops full of dusty, old-fashioned gowns your granny wouldn’t even wear. Today’s dress hire industry is savvy and on trend, and makes clothing yourself in designer threads finally accessible.
Many reputable dress hire businesses offer pieces straight off the runway at an affordable price. So, by hiring dresses for formal events or special occasions, you can wear designer pieces at a fraction of the cost.
4) Be aware of all the fees that come with hiring a dress
While hiring a dress is cheaper than buying, there are fees you need to be aware of.
So when browsing rental sites, make sure you check out any extra charges you’ll need to budget for. These can be things like pressing, shipping and post-wear cleaning.
Need to earn some extra cash to cover these fees, or the rental itself? Take a look at these top sharing economy sites for ideas.
5) You may have limited size options
There’s one downside to hiring a dress over buying one, and that’s choice of sizes.
When choosing a dress for a special occasion you want it to fit perfectly. You certainly don’t want to end up in a stunning designer gown that either hangs off you, or bulges in all the wrong places because it’s too big or small.
When you’re buying a dress from a bricks and mortar store, you can try on as many styles as you like. And they’ll usually have them in a range of sizes.
But when you choose a dress off a dress hire website, you often don’t have a full range of sizes for every style. So you ask falling in love with THE dress, only to find it’s not available in your size. Or you order a dress that looks like it should fit, only to discover it’s not actually cut for your body shape.
While this certainly shouldn’t put you off renting over buying, it’s something to bear in mind when choosing a dress.
Photo by Alberto Bigoni
